Saturday, May 16, 2009

In the 80's, before "bling" and gangsta became fashionable, Dennis Hopper directed a movie that was deemed controversial at the time. Colors depicted the violent crimes and familial relationships of the LA street gangs. Growing up in the 80's, drive by's and drug busts were constantly on TV, radio, and newspaper. In my hometown, Latino gangs were prevalent and when the movie came out, those who lived in any gangland areas of Southern California attested to its accuracy. It was over-the-top in many ways, but still accurate enough.

The story itself explored many complex relationship among the thug streets of Los Angeles - gangs and gangs, cops and gangs, cop and lady gangbanger, cops and cops, cops and snitches.

The relationship between the main characters Officers Bob Hodges (Robert Duval) and Danny "Pacman" McGavin (Sean Penn) was that of a mentor-newbie. Hodges, who's near retirement, was teaching Danny how to survive the streets as a cop and deal with the gangsters to gain respect. Hodges seemed to have a rapport with Frog (Trinidad Silva), an elder gangbanger who's seen it all and may have dealt with Hodges a few times before. Frog and Hodges were seen chit-chatting a few times. Frog smirking at the end when Hodges died was mildy uncomfortable. I thought those two were friends.

Colors had some of today's prolific actors in small roles: Don Cheadle, Damon Wayans, Forrest Whittaker who starred with Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgement High, and Mario Lopez who went on to star in Saved by the Bell and Dancing with the Stars.

What's a white guy doing in a Latino gang?

I had not seen the movie in over ten years but a couple of scenes still remain in my head. The first was Courtney Gains as Whitey. You can't miss him. He's the red-headed white guy in a Latino gang. I can't help but chuckle in the drive-by scene that Whitey spent propped up against a wall because he was too waisted to move. Courtney Gains still enjoys a cult following from his role as Malachai in Children of the Corn.

Another scene that I'm fond of was when Louisa Gomez (Maria Conchita Alonso) was discovered by Danny in the backroom with a gangbanger during a party that the cops were busting up. "This is me too, Pacman!" was just too funny to forget.

There weren't many quotes that I recall. The one that stuck with me the most was the advice that Hodges gave Danny:

There's two bulls standing on top of a mountain. The younger one says to the older one:"Hey pop, let's say we run down there and fuck one of them cows". Theolder one says: "No son. Lets walk down and fuck 'em all".

Colors is a timeless classic. The Colors soundtrack, provided by various artists such as Ice T and Salt-N-Pepa, still holds up today. Many may find the movie dated since the thug style is so prominent in today's pop culture. But Colors may have started it all.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

The 80's were good for Mel Gibson. Yes, the 90's were good to him as well, but he became a mega star in the 80's. Who'd a thought that Lethal Weapon would become THE cop buddy franchise. It's a standard that lives today and will be for more movies to come.

The one stark difference to me between Lethal Weapon 2 and the original Lethal Weapon was the slapstick tone of the sequel. It seemed that Martin Riggs, the lethal weapon, had a makeover and now tried to be part of the close circle of cops around him instead of embracing his lone wolf past. He joked around with his colleagues, became attached with Roger Murtaugh's family, and even fell in love with Rika Van De Haas (played by the ever hot Patsy Kensit). Riggs was not the character that was introduced in the first Lethal Weapon.

Patsy Kensit costars in Lethal Weapon 2

Still hot: Patsy Kensit at the 2009 BAFTA TV Award

Still, despite the funnier and more endearing buddy cop relation (bromance by today's standard), Lethal Weapon 2 was memorable for Leo Getz, superbly played by Joe Pesci who went on to star in other unforgettable movies such as My Cousin Vinny and Goodfellas. I thought that Joe Pesci stole pretty much any scene he was in simply because I wanted to hear what's he gonna say next. Joe Pesci had some of his better movie quotes and funniest moments as Leo Getz.

Funny Leo Getz Quotes

Okay, okay, okay, okay, this is the best part okay? You make a tax deduction on interest payments you don't even make! Am I an innovator? Am I a genius? [explaining money laundering to Riggs and Murtaugh]